This invention relates to a means for and a method of positioning mobile homes or prefabricated buildings in a side-by-side arrangement. In particular, it relates to a portable jacking system which may be used to move a mobile home or the like in a lateral fashion, while retaining a capability of leveling the mobile home while simultaneously removing rack or warp imparted to the structure during road transport.
Structures which are transportable over the road either on self contained wheels or on a trailer for ultimate use as a domicile or the like may be positioned proximate a predetermined site by the delivering vehicle. However, terrain conditions and the necessity in many cases of positioning two structures in a side-by-side relationship precludes the use of the delivering vehicle for accurate positioning of the structure. After leveling a permanent foundation must be installed relative to the structure in order to have a stable platform.
During transport of the structure it is quite common for wind forces and the like to cause a set back or rack so that on arrival at the predetermined site leveling of the floor does not result in the vertical walls being in plumb. In addition to rack, the structure may also warp by rotation about the longitudinal axis during the road transport phase. In any event, the warp or rack must be eliminated before the structure is suitable for habitation.
Commonly, individually positionable hydraulic jacks are utilized to level such structures. However, these vertically operating hydraulic jacks do not permit lateral movement of the structure. In a side-by-side placement, positioning of the first structure may be generally accomplished by the delivering vehicle with leveling being done by hydraulic jacks. However, after placing the first structure at a predetermined site, it is a difficult task to position a second structure adjacent to the first structure sufficiently close so that the two may be joined together for use as a single structure without the use of some means for moving one or the other of the structures laterally. In addition to the necessity of lateral movement, it is appropriate, and in some cases necessary, to remove road wheels affixed to the structure before the relatively permanent installation is completed. In order to accomplish wheel removal the structure must be raised from the ground sufficiently high to permit such removal.
Thus, it can be seen that a contractor in positioning a number of structures, which may be mobile homes, must be able to move the structures longitudinally, which may be done through the use of a tow truck or the like. He must also be able to move the structure laterally. He must also be able to raise or lower the structure to level the structure and to remove the road wheels if installed. As noted above, many devices have been available to accomplish one or more of the above functions. However, such devices usually are missing one or more of the features just enumerated. Accordingly, it may be necessary to use several devices to position such homes.
In addition to the desirability of having the motions set forth above available for use by the contractor, it is desirable to be able to eliminate warp or rack which may have been imposed on the structure during the transporting phase.
As noted, earlier devices have provided several of these features; however, there are other attributes needed in mobile home positioners that do not exist in presently available devices. For example, portable structures or mobile homes are quite frequently placed in areas of soft earth precluding the use of an ordinary hydraulic jack without a large pad placed beneath the jack to prevent the jack from sinking into the soft terrain. Although, some devices have used tracklike structures upon which jacks may be positioned or permanently fixed, such structures have been cumbersome. Where the jacks have been permanently affixed to the tracklike structures, the portability may be degraded to the extent that power driven wheeled devices must position the structure.
In other cases, a rail member, which contacts the lower surface of the portable structure or the mobile home, is positioned above the jacks so that the relatively small bases of the jacks contact the ground. In a manner similar to the devices previously described, the subtending jacks may be permanently affixed to the rail structure, thus increasing the overall weight, and degrading portability and easy placement of the jack structure under the portable structure.
In other cases, the positioning devices have included rather elaborate tracks upon which the portable structure may be rolled. Use of such tracks accomplishes the positioning of the structure but the tracks must be set up thus lengthening the overall positioning time. Such lengthening of the positioning time increases costs. In one device, the track structure has been made relatively more portable so that members having rollers on the bottom thereof may be utilized to position a trailer longitudinally. In this relatively more portable track structure, the rolling member is supported a relatively long distance above the terrain thus precluding the use of a vertical jack while positioning relatively low portable structures.